GFP Day 27 - Burgers and Fries

Is there anything better on a spring evening than the first burgers on the grill?

John divided a pound of hamburger into three good sized burgers. This is from the quarter of beef we bought. It's a little leaner and perfect on the grill.  

John spiced them up with seasoning salt and pepper. 

Look at those grill marks! John takes pride in perfect grill marks. 

Meanwhile I toasted some bakery buns and threw some fries in the fryer. 

Then John added some extra sharp cheddar to the burgers. 

A little mayo, a new garlic mayo on mine and it was very tasty. 

After dinner I decided to try the new vegan ice cream from Ben and Jerry's.

It was a great meal all around. 

GFP Day 26 - Smothered Chicken

I asked Jo what she wanted for dinner for Friday night and she said smothered chicken. I was pretty sure we had some boneless-skinless chicken breasts in the freezer, and I found them right away. Need some more bacon, too, and I KNOW we've got that!

Need to use the cauliflower we got in the co-op, so I'll make one of my favorites...creamy cauliflower au gratin. I slice up the fresh cauliflower and put it in a small baking dish. 

While I'm slicing things up, I cut up what's left of the portobello mushrooms. 

I also cut up the bacon and I'll fry it until crisp. And keep that bacon grease! Need to get the cauliflower baking, so I add some shredded extra-sharp cheddar...

And some grated Parmesan...

And about a cup of cream. 

 Now it goes into the 350 oven until bubbly and starting to brown on top (about 30-35 minutes). 

Now I slice the chicken breasts to thin them out and even them up (you could also pound them thinner). 

Dip the breasts in egg/milk wash, then coat with panko bread crumbs. 

Breaded and ready to fry. 

When the bacon is crispy, remove it from the pan and put aside. I then added a little olive oil to the bacon grease and fry til golden brown. 

Flip and brown other side. 

When golden brown, put on a foil-lined pan. Put in the 350 oven to finish cooking for a few minutes. 

Cook the mushrooms in a little of that bacon grease. Add a little salt & pepper to those cooking shrooms. 

Time to add a layer of shredded cheddar to the chicken breasts. Back in the oven for a couple minutes until the cheese is melted. 

Now, top with the crispy bacon and a little more cheese. Back in the oven to melt. 

 

Now, top with the cooked mushrooms. 

Out comes the creamy cauliflower au gratin. This really is one of my favorite side dishes...SO good!

 Plated up smothered chicken and creamy cauliflower au gratin. 

And more leftovers for lunch this weekend! 😋

GFP Day 25 - Ranch Pizza and Meaty Calzone

Last night we decided to make a classic pepperoni pizza. But then we remembered our son would be here for dinner so we knew one pizza wouldn't cut it. 

So we decided to make a calzone and a pizza. We have never made a calzone and learned a lot in the effort. 

John rolled out the dough and we put it on parchment paper, lightly sprayed with oil. 

Then he added pizza sauce. It is here we discovered our week of pizza had seriously depleted our sauce supply. 

Then the meats!  We cooked the sausage to keep the moisture down. Then added shaved ham. (Which John bought without permission!) 

It was on sale for $2.99 a pound...within the limits set for the "not allowed to buy meat unless..." Rules!

Finally pepperoni and a little fresh mozzarella. 

Top it with some more mozzarella. 

Crimped and vented. 

After it baked awhile we brushed it with butter and garlic salt. Then added a sprinkle of Parmesan. 

It didn't brown up as much as I'd have liked. I think it was too big. In the future we will probably make two or three smaller ones. 

Since we were out of pizza sauce we decided to add a different sauce to the other pizza. Peppercorn Ranch dressing. 

Then a layer of pepperoni. 

Lots of cheese!

More pepperoni. 

I called this pizza "Double Rancheroni"! That is a mighty fine looking pie. Tasted great, too!

We baked it on a pizza pan with holes in it. This makes for a very crispy crust. And a kind of messy oven. There was dripping. Next time we will put foil on the shelf underneath. 

Good pizza and leftovers for lunch. 

GFP Day 24 - Grilled Steak and Hash Browns

Decided to take a break from pizza tonight (we'll do it again tomorrow night, with a twist!), and I was craving beef, so I grabbed a couple small ribeyes out of the freezer. 

A great side dish for those steaks...crispy hash browns! That'll create even MORE freezer space!

15 minutes on the Miracle Thaw and those steaks are butcher-block fresh! I'll put them on the grill after seasoning them with Montreal Steak seasoning. 

Hash browns are great when cooked in bacon grease and a little butter. That bacon I cooked last week for the potato skins provided some flavor for the hash browns. 

Hash browns into the skillet, seasoned with salt & pepper. 

The ribeyes go on the grill to cook to medium-rare. 

Hash browns are flipped to crisp up the other side. That'll only take a couple minutes...just long enough to grab the steaks and let them rest a couple minutes. 

Grilled ribeye steak with crispy-on-the-outside hash browns...all out of the freezer!

GFP Day 23 - Bratwurst Pizza.

Still have pizza dough in the fridge, and we never get tired of pizza, so let's do it again for dinner tonight! Many, many years ago, we were introduced to bratwurst pizza by a pizza chain restaurant called Breadeax Pizza. I don't even know if they're around anymore. They probably all went out of business because we quit buying their bratwurst pizza and started making it at home! 

Got some bratwurst out of the freezer (got it at Hy-Vee when it was on sale AND gave good gas points!). I took the casing off and browned and crumbled the brat meat. 

All done!

Diced up half a Vidalia onion. 

Rolled out the pizza dough and put it on the pizza tray (instead of the stone). 

I put the crust in the 425 oven for about 5 minutes to cook it just a little. It proofed up a little on me! Shoulda put some fork holes in it. 

A layer of Dijon mustard. 

Cover that with a layer of pizza sauce (I always use Contadina). 

Now add the bratwurst, drained sauerkraut, and onions. 

For bratwurst pizza, I like to use a blend of cheddar & mozzarella (just like Breadeax did). 

Bake until it looks good enough to eat. 

That looks good enough to eat! And there's plenty left over for lunch tomorrow!